Machine for operating on standard nut blanks



Dec. 21,- 1943. E. J. COLE 2,337,371

MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N STANDARD NUT BLANKS Filed June 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 lllll H l E ET IE .7

MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON STANDARD NUT BLANKS Filed June 16, 1942 4 Shets-Sheet 2 E. J. COLE Dec. 21, 1943.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON STANDARD NUT BLANKS Filed June 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 E. J. COLE Dec. 21, 1943.

I MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON STANDARD NUT BLANKS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed .June 16, 1942- Patented Dec. 21, 1943 MACHINE FDR ()PERATING ON STANDARD NUT BLANKS Edward J. Cole, Peekskill, N. Y., assignor to Cole Machinery Mfg. Corp, a corporation of New York Application June 16, 1942, Serial No. 447,267

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for operating on standard nut blanks and, more particularly, to an automatic machine for producing improved standard nuts or" the general type disclosed in Patents Nos. 1,516,716, 1,905,621 and 1,966,613 to Edward J. Cole. However, in the present application the crown of the nut blank is not split or slotted but only. spread and the nut blank bore flared.

An object of the invention is to provide an automatic machine to produce grip nuts from standard nut blanks and at a cost substantially the same as standard nuts are now being manufactured.

The apparatus forming the subject-matter of this application includes a mechanically actuated dial having a number of nut holders thereon that are successively presented to a series of tools which flare or spread the crown of the nut, screw tap the bore thereof and thereafter compress the previously expanded nut back to its original contour. The machine disclosed is intended to illustrate the principles of operation and sequence of steps used in producing this form of grip nuts.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my machine, showing the relation of parts and power driving means;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the dial and screw tapper;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan of the dial with its nut holders and rotating arm for moving or stepping the dial;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in dotted lines, showing the general set up of the machine and the means of reciprocating the screw tapper;

Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are a series of vertical sections of a nut blank, showing the initial blank and steps of spreading, threading and closing a standard nut blank;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged vertical section through the dial and dial holder with the tools shown operating on a series of nut blanks;

Fig. 10 is a vertical fragmental section taken on a portion of line iiifi of Fig. 3;

Fig. 11 is a vertical section taken on line i i--l i of Fig. 3;

Fig. 12 is a vertical section taken on line 52-52 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 13 is a vertical section through the spreading or flaring tool;

Fig. 14 is a section taken on line H e-i of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a section taken on line 16-45 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 is a plan view of the bore flaring element with a portion broken away to show its fastening means;

Fig. 17 is a vertical section of the closing or compressor tool;

Fig. 18 is a section taken on line !8-l8 of Fig. 17; and

Fig. 19 is a plan view of the bottom of the closing tool.

In manufacturing grip nuts of the general type set forth in the above-mentioned prior patents and from standard nut blanks illustrated in section in Fig. 5, the crowns of the nut blanks are spread or flared and the upper portion of the blanks expanded, as shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 7 illustrates the flared blank after it has been threaded or tapped and clearly indicates that the depth of the threads in the upper expanded portion of the blank are not cut as deep as the threads in the unexpanded lower portion of the blank.

After the threading operation, the expanded or sprung upper portion of the blank must be compressed, as in Fig. 8, so that the finished grip nut has the same contour and configuration, as the original nut blank.

The present machine comprises a rigid horizontal bed or platform I mounted on supporting legs 2 and with a pair of spaced vertical standards 3 bolted to the upper surface at opposite sides of the bed. A suitable prime mover, such as an electric motor 5, is secured to the floor on which the legs of the bed rest and connected through a gear reduction box 6 to a drive pinion i. This drive pinion meshes with a gear wheel 8 supported on horizontal shaft 9 and affiXed in bearings iii bolted to the underside of the bed plate 1. An upper horizontal power shaft 6 l is secured in bearings l 2 mounted on the upper ends of the vertical standards 3, the shaft H being driven through gear 53 meshing with lower gear 8.

An annular ring-like table 16 is secured to bed plate i to provide a support and guide for the rotating dial 2d, the table 5 5 having an upturned vertical peripheral flange 16 formed or afiixed thereon with the flange cut away in a number of points around its circumference for the insertion of vertical anti-friction rollers l1.

Fitted within the flanged annular table E5 is a rotating dial plate 26, having a plurality of equispaced slots or nut blank holders 2i cut therein. The nut blanks are fed into the dial through an enlarged opening 98 cut through the table flange 16. It will be understood that the nut blanks may be fed to the dial by any suitable means,

the art that the finished grip nut, after passing through the machine, may be discharged therefrom in any suitable manner, as for instance through opening 75, although this forms no essential part of the present invention.

The rotating dial plate -2il is also equipped with a number of upstanding lugs or drive pins 25 adjacent its inner periphery. These lugs or pins 25 may be of any desired form, as for instance, a circular knob or button mounted on' a stud or bolt 25. The purpose of these devices is to form abutments 'for moving the dial'and thus carry the nut blanks through the several operations. It will be appreciated that there are as many pins 25, there are nut blank holders and they are stepped or moved around by wiping contact with rotating arcuate arm 25 secured to rotating shaft 2'! and drive pinion 28, securing rotation from lower horizontal drive shaft 9.

The gear ratios and spacing of the abutments, together with the arcuate formation of the arm are so proportioned that the nut blanks move around. in such a manner that three blanks are simultaneously operated upon with intermediate partially completed blanks between the operation points. 7

Vertical slots or guides 39 are secured to the inside walls of vertical. standards 3 to accommodate reciprocating plungers 3i pivoted at 32 to yokes 33 that embrace eccentrics 3 1 secured to the upper horizontal power shaft H. Both plungers 35 are reciprocated simultaneously so that each accomplishes its particular operation on a nut blank simultaneously with the other tool. i

Beneath the bed i and secured to the legs 2 is a shelf 35 on which a forked pivot support 36 is mounted. A rock arm 3?, having a counter weight 38 positioned on its shorter arm, is pivoted within the forked support 35, while the longer arm 3& of the rocker 3T terminates in an. upturned finger ail and normally bears against eccentric ii secured to lower power shaft 9.

A rigid vertical arm 52 is affixed to the upper part of forked member 35 to provide a mounting 3.31 the sliding collar .3 to which screw tapper is secured The hollow collar or bracket 13 as a rearwardly extending arm #35 and pivot to accommodate the upper end of the crank rm while the lower end of this crank arm curved and formed with an elongated slot l8 ngaging pin dis aifixed to the side of rock arm 3?. It will be understood that when movement is given to the came! through the above described mechanism, the screw tapper will be.

raised and lowered into and from engagement with a nut blank.

The tapper is of any suitable independently driven type, as the particular construction of the tapper forms no part of this invention, the salient feature being its synchronism with the other parts of the 'rnac'hine.

Referring now to the blank flaring and compressing tools that are mounted in the lower ends of the reciprocating plungers 3i, numeral larger diameter than the bore.

held in position within the socket by a plurality 50 designates the entire tool. Preferably, the spreading tool 53 is retained in an open ended cylindrical socket 5| carried on a shank 52 fitting within a recess in the end of the plunger 3|, and comprises a center pilot or flaring pin 53 extending downwardly. beyond the side wall of the socket with its end portion terminating in a rounded, flaring configuration of approximately the diameter of the nut blank bore, and with the intermediate portion 5d of somewhat A plate 55 is of machine screws 56. The important feature of the pilot pin is the tapered flange or bulge 54, which is formed on the pin directly above the tapered portion 53 for the purpose of spreading or expanding the upper portion of the nut blank.

. As the, spreading tool is reciprocated and contacts the bore of the nut blank, the rounded tapered end 53 of the spreading tool centers the tool and, thus, the upper part of the blank is expanded, as illustrated in Fig. 6.

The threading operation is a conventional one, although, as before described, the depth of the threads is, of course, less in the upper expanded bore portion of the nut, as clearly shown in Fig. 7.

Following the threading operation, the nut blank is carried around in the dial plate and positioned under the closing or compressing tool 58. This device consists of an internally threaded socket 6i carried on a pin 62 attached to its plunger 3|. Interiorly of the socket is an externally screw threaded block 63, having a central vertical passage therethrough, the lower portion of which is of the general configuration of the contour of the particular nut blank being operated on. As hexagonal nut blanks are shown in the drawing, the block 63 has its lower passage opening shown in hexagonal form. (See Fig. 19.)

The walls 54 of the hexagonal opening taper inwardly to create a compression force on the side walls of the nut, as the tool is lowered, to thus compress the nut blank back to its original contour, as shown in Fig. 8. Occasionally, a nut blankwill become jammed within the tapered wall Mand it is, therefore, preferable to com bine an ejector mechanism with the closing tool. This may take the form of a spring 65 bearing against shoulder 66 of a cylindrical pin 81. This pin normally extends into the hexagonal portion of the opening and applies pressure to the top of the nut to prevent its retention within the tool.

To further eliminate any sticking or raising of the nut blanks during the threading and cutting operations, perforated plates Hi and H are attached to the bed I and overlie the tapping and slotting positions.

r In operation, nut blanks of any desired size and configuration are fed into the dial plate 29 through opening I8. The dial is rotated in a step-by-step manner through means of arm 26 striking pins 25 secured to the dial. This movement carries the nut blank into proper registry under the spreading tool 58 where the crown oi the nut is flared or spread. Further movement of the dial brings the initially expanded nut blank into position under the screw threading tapper "54, whose reciprocation is synchronized to lower and withdraw the tapping tool through the bore of the blank, after which the dial carries the threaded nut blank to the closing tool original contour. Thereafter the completed grip nut is removed from the dial through bottom opening 15.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a standard nut blank finishing machine, a rotating dial having operating positions thereon for the retention of a plurality of standard nut blanks, and means associated with said dial for simultaneously spreading the crown of one nut blank, threading a previously spread nut blank and compressing a previously threaded blank to its original contour.

2. An apparatus for threading and finishing standard nut blanks including a rotating dial having a plurality of operating positions thereon for retaining a plurality of nut blanks, and power driven means associated with said dial for rotating said dial and moving a nut blank thereon successively, through a series of stations where the said nut blank is operated on with a tool to create a flared portion adjacent its crown, thereafter operated upon by a tap and threaded throughout its bore and finally operated upon by a compression device and closed at its previously flared portion.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the series of consecutive operations set forth are performed simultaneously and in the order named on a plurality of different nut blanks.

4. A mechanism for spreading, threading and closing nut blanks including a table, a horizontal rotating dial plate thereon having a plurality of nut blank holders therein, horizontal parallel power driven shafts above and below said table, vertically reciprocating plungers for spreading and closing a nut blank operated from the shaft above said table, a vertically reciprocating thread tapper operated from the shaft below said table and a rotating arm driven by the said lower shaft for stepping said dial plate and nut blank holders past said plungers and said tapper.

5. In a machine for operating on standard nut blanks, a horizontal bed plate having an annular table secured thereto, a dial plate mounted for rotation on said table, vertical standards secured on said bed plate adjacent the annular table, a driven shaft having spaced cams thereon mounted for rotation on the upper portions of said standards, vertical guides on said standards for receiving reciprocating plungers operated by said cams, a nut blank flaring tool carried in the lower end of one of said plungers and a nut compressing block carried in the lower end of the other of said plungers, a blank threading tapper slidingly mounted and normally held on a rod above said dial plate and adapted to reciprocate therethrough, a driven shaft below said bed plate having a cam thereon adapted to reciprocate said tapper rod and a horizontal arm driven from said lower shaft for periodic engagement with said dial plate.

6. In a machine for operating on standard nut blanks, the combination of a ring-like horizontal rotating dial plate having a plurality of nut blank holders formed adjacent the outer periphery of said dial plate, a plurality of pins corresponding to the blank holders positioned adjacent the inner periphery of said dial plate, a power driven rotating arm positioned inside the center opening of the dial plate and adapted to step the dial plate and nut blanks carried thereby past a plurality of work stations where the said blanks are successively expanded across their crowns, threaded throughout their bores and compressed to their original contour.

'7. In a machine as set forth in claim 6, wherein the ring-like dial plate is mounted for rotation on an annular ring-like table having vertically flanged outer edges slightly greater in diameter than the diameter of the dial plate and provided with a series of anti-friction devices preventing the outer edge of the dial from binding thereagainst.

8. In a machine for operating on standard nut blanks, the combination of rotating dial, a plurality of nut blank holding slots formed in the outer periphery of said dial, reciprocating tool holders positioned at diametric points on and above said dial, a nut blank spreading tool carried by one of said tools and a nut blank compressor carried by the other of said tools, a nut blank threading tapper mounted above said dial intermediate the before described tools, and power means adapted to move the said dial and nut blank holders into operative position below said tools and tapper.

9. A machine as described in claim 8, wherein the said dial is rotated by a step-by-step movement to present the nut blanks successively beneath the spreading tool, the threading tapper and the nut compressor.

10. A machine as defined in claim 2 for successively flaring the crown portion of a nut blank, threading the bore of the slotted blank and thereafter compressing the sides of the blank to assume its original contour, said nut blank flaring mechanism comprising a reciprocating plunger having a socket formed in the lower end thereof, and a central pilot pin provided with a rounded head portion of approximately the diameter of the bore of the nut blank extending downwardly below the sides of the socket said pin having an upper portion of larger diameter than the bore of the nut.

11. A machine for successively expanding the crown portion of a nut blank, threading the bore of the expanded blank and thereafter compressing the sides of the blank to assume its original contour, said nut blank compressing mechanism comprising a reciprocating plunger having a socket formed in the lower end thereof, a plug in said socket provided with an inwardly tapered bottom opening whose walls are complementary to the contour of the nut blank being compressed and wherein the said plug is screw-threaded within the plunger socket and a spring pressed pin is retained in the upper part of the tapered opening and normally extends downwardly through the center thereof toward the lower edge of the opening.

EDWARD J. COLE. 

